Floating plant for charging and discharging mineral oil products and the like

Abstract

The immersed hoses of a floating plant for charging and discharging mineral oil products comprise means for the immediate indication of impacts, partial damages and rupture of the hoses themselves. Said means consist of a hollow space provided in the wall of the hoses, filled with a fluid under pressure and connected to means for monitoring its variations. Impacts, partial damages and ruptures, originating a variation in the pressure of the fluid inside the hollow space, can be detected immediately.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A floating plant for charging and discharging mineral oil having a floating platform, a visible pressure gauge and a flexible hose for connecting the platform to a pipe fixed on the bottom of a body of water, said flexible hose comprising a tube for conveying oil and a protective jacket about the tube, said jacket comprising internal rigid members spaced from each other to provide circumferentially spaced open spaces which extend longitudinally through the hose and are of substantially constant volume, said spaces being filled with a liquid under pressure, and means for connecting the open spaces to the pressure gauge whereby impacts on the jacket cause a variation in the pressure of the said liquid which is indicated on the pressure gauge. 
     
     
       2. A plant as in claim 1, wherein the jacket of the flexible hose has a composite structure comprising, from the inside to the outside, a first tubular layer of elastomeric or plastic material of such a composition as to resist to the chemical action of the conveyed material, a second tubular layer of square woven fabric, at least two superimposed windings of rubberized or plastics-coated cord fabric arranged the one clockwise and the other counterclockwise, a third tubular layer of elastomeric or plastic material embedding at least a helicoid of metal rod, a fourth layer of square woven fabric, a fifth tubular layer of elastomeric or plastic material, rigid elements cantilevered from the said fifth tubular layer, a sixth tubular layer of square woven fabric over said rigid elements, a seventh tubular layer of elastomeric or plastic material, an eighth tubular layer of square woven fabric, at least two superimposed windings of rubberized or plastics-coated cord fabric wound up the one clockwise and the other counterclockwise over the said eighth tubular layer, a tubular layer of square woven fabric over the outer of said superimposed windings, and a covering layer of elastomeric or plastic material. 
     
     
       3. A plant as in claim 2, wherein the said rigid elements are helically applied on the said fifth tubular layer. 
     
     
       4. A plant as in claim 3, wherein the rigid protuberance is constituted by a plurality of tapes of rubberized fabric doubled together. 
     
     
       5. A plant as in claim 2, wherein the rigid elements are rigid blocks applied on the said fifth tubular layer. 
     
     
       6. A plant as in claim 5, wherein the rigid blocks are constituted by a plurality of portions of rubberized fabric doubled together. 
     
     
       7. The plant of claim 1 wherein said flexible hose comprises a plurality of segments and means for connecting adjacent segments together which comprises a tubular member inserted in an end of one of said segments with one end of the tubular member exposed, an annular flange about the exposed end of the tubular member which adapts the tubular member for attachment to a flange of a similar tubular member of an adjacent segment, a rigid annular member secured about the tubular member having a bore extending longitudinally therethrough that portion of said jacket of the segment which is disposed radially outwardly from said spaces being secured on said ring and that portion of the jacket disposed radially inwardly of the said spaces being disposed against an end of the ring with said spaces communicating with the bore through the ring, and a tubular member adapted to connect said bore of one ring with the bore of a ring of the tubular member of an adjacent segment. 
     
     
       8. In an apparatus for conveying an oil between a floating platform and a pipe submerged below the surface of a body of water, said platform having a flanged fitting for connecting it to a conduit, a flexible hose having a core tube through which said oil can flow and a reinforcing jacket therearound, said jacket comprising a first thickness of a plurality of layers comprising fabric lying one on the other and disposed about the core tube and a second thickness of a plurality of layers comprising fabric lying one on the other and disposed about the first thickness, a layer of rigid spacer elements disposed between the said thicknesses providing hollow spaces therebetween, said spaces being filled with a liquid, a pressure responsive gauge on the platform, means for connecting the said spaces to the gauge whereby said gauge will respond to changes in pressure in the said spaces caused by impacts on the hose or rupture of the hose, a tubular member disposed in one end of said hose and secured thereto, said tubular member having one end exposed beyond the said end of the hose and an annular flange on the fitting adapted to be connected to the flange of said fitting on the platform.